al debate. the latest fox news poll has registered voters backing the president over mitt romney by 48 to 43%. and today's gallup poll has the president leading by 58 to 44%. one poll did measure bias against mitt romney. unfortunately for republicans the group measured wasn't just democrats but all american adults. the bloomberg news poll measured reasonable ratings. president clinton came out on top, president obama was second at former president george w. bush scored third at 46%, a solid three points ahead of mitt romney. you heard that right, george w. bush is more popular than mitt romney. and some republicans are blaming the campaign's problem on the candidate himself. an anonymous romney organization

top member was quoted as saying . . . and a top washington republican . . . turning to the latest swing state polls. a survey has likely voters in new hampshire backing the president a 50 to 45%. new hampshire voters also give the president a 7-point edge. in virginia the president is leading mitt romney again by two points, as does suffolk university and d.c. 12 poll. while the nevada virginia and colorado races are close, mitt romney chose to campaign today in pennsylvania.

he told the crowd at the military academy. >> romney: i want to take that big cloud off of the small business world that is hang over them. three-quarters say they don't want to hire more people because of obamacare. [ cheers ] >> eliot: despite the fact that he sited his romney care act as a great success. meanwhile, both sides are gearing up for next week's big event. wednesday's first presidential debate between the two contenders. both sides are working hard to shape expectations.

beth myers sent out a memo that read in part . . . and obama campaign senior strategy david axelrod wrote, and i quote . . . for more on the expectations gain i'm joined by brent brent coburn. thanks for joining us. >> thanks for having me. >> eliot: the expectation game, could we agree for the moment they are both really smart guys and we're hopefully going to have a good debate about substance. >> that's our hope. the debates a great opportunity

for the american people tune in and the candidates tell their stories. that's what we plan to do. we hope the romney campaign comes prepared to do the same thing. beside his technical -- technical skills as a debater, we hope he finally comes to the table with some details. >> eliot: i think the american public and my perspective in all of this is no mystery, i share that there has been no specificity, the week there was supposed to be specificity it was swept away with the 47%

comments. what would you ask him? >> how are you going to pay for these $5 trillion in tax cuts which are weighted mostly toward the richest people in the country. we just want an honest answer on -- as president clinton said in charlotte, the arithmetic behind all of this. >> eliot: okay. let me turn the question back to you again a little bit. because i already called the race two nights ago. so the question is for you an governance perspective, you are dealing with an economy that has grown at a rate that nobody is

happy with so what are you going to do? >> we need every single voter engaged. as you know from your lifetime in politics elections are long and very complicated processes, a lot can happen in 40 days, so we'll keep pushing forward until the end of this thing. in terms of the economic questions for the president he is going to do what he has done throughout this campaign, where we started and what he inherited. we boss 3.5 million jobs headed into the first six months before he took the oaf value office. and what he has done to move us forward. and we're going to talk about the things we want to do and the plans he has to move us forward. some of the plans are on the table and have been obstructed by congress like the american jobs act, and some of these plans he has outlined on the

stump and in our advertising, in terms of the energy solution investments in education and infrastructure. so we'll talk about how to move forward billing off of the last four years. >> eliot: all of that is clear and i think correct. but it doesn't fully answer what will happen. john boehner odds are, is still likely to be speaker of the house. >> sure. >> eliot: in which case you will have a tough negotiation with him. can you pledge to the american people that you will stand rigid in opposing extension of the bush tax cuts for the wealthiest americans? >> the president's economic team knows they have a mountain to climb in front of them in terms of dealing with congress. the congressional leadership on the republican side came together the day the president

was nominated and said we care more about score political points than working with this president. change comes by engaging people outside of washington, and putting pressure on the leakership in congress. so that's what we are going to do, and continue to do that, we hope the speaker and other republican leaders will come to the table. this is a time to get together sleeves, and continue to build off of the last four years. >> eliot: one area where there has been consistent criticism as been with respect to resolution of the mortgage crisis. the banks got a good deal, and yet at the same time there was not a sufficient effort to bring homeowners back, and that has hurt the economy in terms of home values median family asset values, is there some new agenda

that come january you can say we have got to deal with this crisis? >> sure. well like you said we are starting to see signs of progress in the housing market. home values are up in a meaningful way for the first time in a long time and that should give a lot of encouragement to individuals out there who have been dealing with the housing crisis. it is an important issue for the president. we'll continue to work with our economic team at the white house and our friends at housing about urban development, and put together a plan moving forward to present to the american people and really like i said continue to build off of our progress. >> eliot: any exit polls yet of the early voters in iowa. >> we had a good first day yesterday, early vote in iowa is the first swing state that really gets going. we saw -- in one country we saw

about a four-one ratio of republicans to democrats showing up to vote. we don't it will be that way everywhere. but we're pushing hard in iowa early voting starting october 2nd in ohio which is crucial. >> eliot: i know you have to put all of the caveats in, i just want you to member we were the first network to call the election. brent coburn many thanks for coming on the show. >> thanks, eliot. >> eliot: and for more the big money is flowing into the obama campaign. when did this happen? >> it has been picking up for the last couple of weeks. the last filing was the one

where the obama super pac beat the romney super pac. so we're seeing the emergence who are giving a half of million, quarter of a million dollars. republican super pacs remain far better funded but we are seeing some important signals, and one big one came on thursday when george soros said he would pledge a million dollars to priority usa. he was a huge player in the outside spending efforts in 2008. he sat out 2009 and 2010 and he said this year i'm not going to play with super pacs i don't like them. but now we see a huge push.

>> eliot: yes. it's almost george sorerus and jim simon on one hand versus sheldoned a elson on the other. does it ever cross your mind that maybe it doesn't matter as much as we think it might in the sense that the arc of the obama campaign was not thrown off track by all of the money coming in from adelson and the others. >> you could say that. we're not infallible i think the candidate is ultimately the most important thing in politics, and i think there are some problems that mitt romney doesn't seem to be able to overcome, i think that helps. but there is 40 days left in the

election, and there is a lot of money that has not been spent and is not on the airwaves. the real fall barrage is perhaps yet to come. >> eliot: you said you are so -- ahead of the curve on tracking where the money is coming from and where it is booing. one of the early indicators of senior republican dissatisfaction will be when the money begins to swift away from the -- presidential race towards the senate. is that something you are starting to see. >> no, i'm not. we're all looking out for that and of course it can be very hard to separate out what represents a move away from the

presidential race. american cross roads we have always known was going to focus a lot of fire power on the senate anyway. they have $200 million i think for the presidential, and 70 million for the senate, something like that. so it's hard to know if all of a sudden we see mopny shifting down ballot most people don't know who their congress person is. but i imagine if things got very, very bad for mitt romney which they aren't yet by a long shot, it is certainly conceivable that we would see some open signal from the super pacs from karl rove. he likes to signal in advance so the other outside groups can follow suit, but we haven't seen that happen yet. >> eliot: missouri one of the

most bizarre races with todd akin. do you see any signs that super pac republican money will go back in to support him? they all ran from him. will they reconsider and try to go back in if they think he can win? >> there are no permanent plans and strategies in this super pac land. these groups are highly agile if they see he has a chance to beat claire mccaskill you will simonny come back in. it is getting harder and harder for them to see what their map is going to be to win control of the senate without that seat. they can't afford to give it up. so you are already going to see some party money in that race and if it works, i imagine you will see outside money. one of the important things these groups have done in the past is try to put seats in to

play that couldn't be in play with just the party money being in play. so that's what they do. >> eliot: right. all right. "new york times" political reporter, nick many thanks for your time tonight. >> take care. >> eliot: we still have one age-old question about mitt romney. who is he? that's coming up. just broke. or when you have a little trouble a long way from home... as an american express cardmember you can expect some help. but what you might not expect, is you can get all this with a prepaid card. spends like cash. feels like membership.

>> eliot: election day isn't what it used to be. and that's a good thing. decades ago anyone who wanted to vote early had to come up with an excuse. that brings us to our number of the day, 32. that's how many states plus the district of columbia allow early voting for anyone who wants it, with no excuses required. iowa started voting yesterday, and by one estimate four out of

ten iowa ballots mayen up being cast before november 6th. some people will make a decision without watching the debates and will also mean better voter participation. the only disadvantages are for campaign professionals who are used to thinking in terms of october surprises and last-minute ad satation. so to minnesota, alabama, and new york, as well as the 15 other states that haven't adopted no excuses early voting what is your excuse for that? presidential debate. with unrivaled analysis and commentary. >> you're going to hear that used as a major talking point. (vo) the only network with real-time reaction straight from the campaigns and from viewers like you. >>now that's politically direct.

>> eliot: with the tea party etches, mitt romney steps. a massachusetts moderate with shaky credentials has been uneasy about which shade of romney will show up to govern the white house. but those doubts all but evaporated, and i quote . . . here to discuss who is really driving mitt romney is eric bates, executive editor of "rollingstone" magazine. thanks for joining us. >> thank for having me. >> eliot: mitt romney did in fact -- the morph that destroyed him from moderate sensible

creatable intellect to far-right stooge, how did he done that. >> we decided he would go to the far right, pose as a severe conservative, and then somehow magically shake the etch-a-sketch and come back to center. >> eliot: if he had been smarter and more nimble he would have said you know i'm going to etch-a-sketch, but he stuck to the far right and showed himself at the end of the day to approximate completely spineless. >> all along people have been saying who is the real mitt romney? how will we know what he really stands for? and i think the moment that was

cemented into place was when he picked paul ryan. there was a lot of argument for him to pick centerist like pall leapty. and then gofer nor quest said this choice outlines the future for the next four to eight years. >> eliot: tim's article goes through area of policy to area of policy, when you put it all together, you do step back and say mitt romney became the tea party. >> that's right. he has adopted the agenda fully. the ryan budget has gotten a lot of at attention, but a lot of other agenda items that they have been passing really reveal what the agenda is.

restricting women's right to get an abortion even if they are dying or have been raped. allowing people to carry concealed weapons even if they are drunk. >> eliot: it is shocking when you look at it and it is the todd akin social agenda republican party. even though everybody pretended to recoil in shock when todd akin made his horrific comments they went on to embrace his agenda. what me taste sized against mitt romney was he didn't have the forty tuesday to say no i'm not

going there. >> yes. and they tried over and over again, they ran one candidate up the flag pole after another. is >> eliot: when you look back at bill clinton who we look at as one of the great politicians of the past 30 or 40 years, his sister soldier moment was when he went to the base and said i disagree with you about this. it showed a certain force of character that he would say no. and romney has never done that. >> in a sense you have to do what both clinton and obama did, and to some extent reagan did as well, which is to push back your

base, and while at the same time say i'm just going this for the camera, i'm your map. all of the great politicians know how to do that. they have to deal with their base in that way. >> eliot: president obama got significant criticism on the first couple of years of his first term on issues such as immigration and lesbian/gay issues as well and then suddenly there when he needed the base to come back he came out in support of same-sex marriage. and that solidified him as yes, once again he is our candidate. >> that's right. >> eliot: there you see him as the nimble politician, and i think that has carried him forward. >> as with bill clinton he is fortunate in his enemies right at the moment of election where

you have this hard core opposition as clinton did with newt gingrich. and then people say maybe he'll unleash in the second term. i think people are concerned with obama as well, who is the real obama. >> eliot: yeah. but we do know that mitt romney is being sunk but his apparently feelty to the far right. and david stockman said this guy is a joker. >> that's right. they look at romney and say this is too far. the right has gone to an extreme that we never would have envisioned or endorsed and the country cannot sustain. this deep of cut to the social net and economic engine will spell chaos. >> eliot: part of the reason for this is there is this huge chasm when the imagery of ronald

reagan and the reality of how he governed. the article is titled "who is driving mitt," eric bates, executive editor of "rollingstone" magazine, thank you for time you tonight. >> thank you. >> eliot: and we'll show you every clumsy thing mitt romney ever did. it's in the viewfinder coming up next. when you use lysol at home, you'll know you're a part of something bigger. for healthy tips and more, visit lysol.com/missionforhealth.

>> eliot: >> eliot: still to come signs of life in the union movement lessons from the chicago teacher's strike. but you heard me say it once or twice, mitt romney is the most awkward politician ever. >> ladies and gentlemen, time for a new segment, this is called mitt romney, that's kind of a joke. watch this. ♪ >> my dad used to tell us that one year they ate nothing but potatoes, that was when they lived in idaho. even later in life my dad

couldn't look a potato in the eye. kind of a joke. >> people are saying i just don't know about this fellow romney. [ booing ] >> yeah, i agree with you. >> we talked about the boss that might fire you. he is also like your date's dad that you are constantly meeting, and he is awkward, and you are awkward. >> i appreciate you being out here in the warmth like this. i can't get over you guys standing out here in the rain. you are the best. thank you so much. i appreciate you coming back to say hi to me and have me come in the flesh. >> i heard the strains of a beautiful musical number a moment something. the strains of the national anthem. >> he is an elitist and he is out of touch. >> i love ohio i love america.

i love you guys. >> there is something about romney that people cannot connect or relate to. >> check it out, gang i had a little free time and i designed my own campaign pin. >> wow. that's quite a guy, isn't it? that's paul ryan. wait a second, romney rooip, romney, ryan. there we go. all right. that's great. >> oh sweet jesus. >> eliot: i don't think he is real. i think he is a computer.

rich, chewy caramel rolled up in smooth milk chocolate. don't forget about that payroll meeting. rolo.get your smooth on. also in minis.

>> eliot: in a climate where your i don't knows and worker rights have been under attack the teacher's strike resulted in significant gains for teachers and the educational reforms they

support. in president of the american federation of teachers, the chicago teachers' national union, wrote and i quote . . . weingarten, the president of the american federation of teachers, the chicago teachers' national union. randi, thank for joining us. >> it's always great to be with you, eliot. >> eliot: thank you. you did reform late the education conversation with the strike. explain what you wanted to do and what you think you accomplished? >> no one wants a strike, and a strike is to be avoided virtually at all costs. no one goes into a strike willingly. but what happened in chicago was there has been 15 years of closing schools and teaching to the test as opposed to teaching

children, so parents and the educators, together -- that's why parents supported the strike by a two to three to one basis, talked about how we need the tools for teachers and resources for kids, so we make every single school in chicago a school where parents want to send their kids and educators want to work. a school where kids actually get prepared for the world that they are about to face rather than being a test score. >> eliot: of the last ten or 15 years there have been a lot of good ideas, but throughout this one of the very unfortunate results is the teacher's union has been portrayed as being against reform. when i was in government you were running the union here in

new york state, and explain what you meant in terms of how school time should be used. >> also, and thank you for that eliot, because you have been one of the most amazing public service servants we have had for decades. the bottom line is when a teacher's union steps up and says this is what teacher's need to help kids. that should be respected not vilified. we all have to step up and do more, which is what our union has been trying to do. what we meant by a better day was instead of simply having more time, we need to make sure that time is useful for kids. kids don't have art and music, or physical education these days. those are the things that kids need. and secondly, in places like chicago, new york city lots of other places whether it's rural, poor, or urban poor, we need to

make sure that kids have libraries, social workers, that we meet kids where they are, and deal with all of their emotional needs, not just their instructional needs if we really want to help all childrening succeed. and that's what we meant by a better day. >> eliot: one of the statistics in your op-ed that was shocking to me, 87% of the kids in the chicago school system live in poverty. that suggests to me -- not only enormous difficulties because these are children who don't get nutrition and have other social issues they need to deal with. that is an enormous problem to overcome from the very get-go. so that speaks to the fact that you need a more holistic approach. >> at the end of the day, the

real big problem is there is a simplistic notion that individual teachers can do it all, and they don't even listen to what we say we need for us to do our job. we need to focus on instruction and the needs of the children. educate the whole child. that is not an excuse. it is finding ways to make sure we mitigate poverty and we have done it in other places. in cincinnati we have wrap around services around schools that help educate the whole child and make sure kids are taken care of after school, to help make sure kids have a good nourished meal, that they have health care, and that is one of the things that people raised in chicago. people talked about air conditioning a lot. that's to ensure that in schools a third of which start in

chicago in the summer that they are not sweltering so we are actually able to help kids learn, rather than see kids faint. >> eliot: one of the other interesting facts in a david brooks column today which sounds remarkably similar to you, three-quarters of the kids who graduated from the kip academy, which is viewed as one of the great charter schools out there, three quarters of those kids did not make it through college, and his point was they did not have the emotional foundation as opposed to the sorts of aspects of education you are talking about. >> look at the end of the day, we have to educate the whole child. education is hard work, and it's not always linear. so that's part of the reason why teachers keep saying why are you demonizing us for doing the work

to make a difference in the lives of kids. we all know we need to step up. that's why we're focused on making sure teachers who are good can be valued and if somebody can't teach they shouldn't be in the profession. but we have to focus on all of kids needs. >> eliot: you and i did not always agree when i was in government, but one thing i always understood was that you and your union wanted reform that was meaningful that was going to get a better education for the kids. randi weingarten, the president of the american federation of teachers, the chicago teachers' national union, thanks for joining us tonight, and keep fighting hard for what you believe in. >> thank you. >> eliot: we'll be right back.

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>> eliot: we see the same thing every four years, as we head to

the presidential debate each side tries to lower expectations for their candidate. let's stop with the games. that's next on my view. and then in "the war room," jennifer is going to dive deep into the reality deniers also known as the republicans. it's going to be a great show. more "viewpoint" coming up ahead. commentary. >> you're going to hear that used as a major talking point. (vo) the only network with real-time reaction straight from the campaigns and from viewers like you. >>now that's politically direct. currenttv